Back to index Nevada Point Hike
Trip Date:  05/05/2017

Distance
: 3.7 Miles

Vertical Gain: 1500'

Group Size: 2
Hike Rating:  Easy   Moderate   Hard   Strenuous
Nevada Point Hike
See video of this hike  See video of hike   Download GPXGPX for this trip
Nevada Point Elevation Profile
Start Coordinates:   N 38 58.703, W 120 41.382     End Coordinates:   Same as start coordinates
Car Shuttle Req'd:   No Parking Directions:   Take Wentworth Springs Road to Volcanoville Rd.  Turn north on Volcanoville Rd and follow it for about 1 3/4 miles to the turnoff on the right to Rubicon Rd.  Follow Rubicon Rd for about 2 1/4 miles to the parking area on a dirt turnout on the north side of the road.  
Hazards of Note:   Rattlesnakes, ticks, poison oak. Crowd Factor:   Negligible.  This is a remote location and the chances of running into others is very slight.
General Notes:
From the parking area, head back up the road 500' to the trailhead, or follow a use trail southeast from the parking area which heads steeply up the hill in that direction.  It will connect with the actual trail in about 1/10 of a mile.   From this point the trail begins a steep descent for the next mile and a half down to the river and a bridge which has been washed out since 1997.  There is a significant amount of poison oak along the trail which can be avoided, mostly.  There are a couple of places along the way with nice views of the American River and Rubicon Canyons in this area, so make sure to stop and check out the views along the way.

View down into the canyon from near the start of the hike. Canyon View
Looking for the actual trailhead from the parking area.
Heading out from the parking spot 
A couple of locations along the trail offer some nice views into the very rugged and remote canyons in this area. Looking east from the trail
As the trail heads down into the canyon, the terrain gets extremely rugged.  Not many people get to experience how remote this area of the Rubicon. Heading down
Before getting down to the Rubicon and the destination for this hike, there is a well-built bridge which crosses Pilot Creek.
Crossing Pilot Creek
A look at the high levels of water pouring down Pilot Creek on this wet spring. Pilot Creek from the Bridge
The washed out bridge over the Rubicon River at the destination point.  There is a small cable attaching the bridge to the other side for moving supplies back and forth.  A longer trail can be seen on the other side heading back up the canyon.   Nevada Point Bridge
Another look at the bridge and the inaccessible other side.  This bridge has washed out twice; once in the 1920s when the Hell Hole dam failed, and then again in the late 1990s leaving what is still here today. Another look at the bridge
The view up the Rubicon River from the remnants of the bridge. Looking up the river from the bridge
Mark on the way back up the trail in one of the hotter, exposed locations close to the river.   Mark on the way back up the hill
We were lucky enough to have this Anna hummingbird working its way around us for about 5 minutes as we just stood on the trail watching it.  It appeared to be completely unfazed by our presence. Anna hummingbird
GPS Track of the full hike. GPS Track of Hike